


Roll Of The Dice

by dragonsFall



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Being Transported To Another World, Cleric Coby, Cleric Koby, Eladrin Coby, Eladrin Koby, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Rating subject to change, Setting Your Party Member On Fire [Accidentally], Sorcerer Ace, They Play DnD Online Together, Tiefling Ace, Waking up in an alternate world, Yelling At Dice, additional tags & characters to be added, briefly though - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28992078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonsFall/pseuds/dragonsFall
Summary: After finding themselves suddenly transported into the fantasy world of their campaign, Koby and Ace must find a way back home.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace, Portgas D. Ace & Coby (One Piece)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 22





	1. Natural One

The twenty-sided dice skittered across his desk as soon as he released it. The voice chat he had been on had gone completely silent as they waited to see what he rolled. Then that lovely red and black die rolled right off his desk. Like the goddamn traitor it was.

“Shit!” Shouted the freckled man. Betrayed by his die yet again, Ace reached down to pick it up.

“Oh dear. What happened?” Asked a polite woman’s voice. The other person in the chat was quiet but he could hear typing.

“Die fell off the desk” He answered once he had straightened back up, getting a look at the time. Damn. Ace had work in the morning. He needed to go to sleep soon.

“You know what that means. If you can’t hit the table, you can’t hit an Orc” She was laughing at him. His rolls had been really terrible this session.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. It doesn’t matter anyway. It was a one to begin with”

“You better not set—“ Started the voice where the typing was coming from.

“He unfortunately misses and sets our poor cleric on fire” chimed in the DM, clearly too amused by both of their reactions.

They finished up the encounter, narrowing snatching a victory and the experience points it offered. His adventuring partner had to make death saving throws because of his blunder. He was okay in the end. The end of the battle marked the end of their session.

“Looking forward to the next one. You guys take care” Ace said as he stretched, leaving his dice where they lay. He planned on cleaning them up in the morning. 

“Y-yeah! You too!” Chimed in one voice.

“Have a good night” said the other.

Ace disconnected from the call now that goodbyes had been exchanged. He stretched then shut down his laptop. The chair was shoved away from the desk then he stood up.

He listened to the silence of the night for a moment. Just to make sure his little brother was asleep. Several moments passed before he decided that Luffy was indeed in bed and sleeping. He had a bad habit of staying up way past his bedtime. Sabo would already be asleep.

With a yawn, Ace made his way or his bed. Exhaustion had hit him like a ton of bricks. However, the skittering of dice on the surface of his desk stopped him. He turned just as the d20 rolled off, hitting the ground much like it had earlier that evening.

How..? Maybe he just accidentally bumped it off. Didn’t explain it rolling itself though. Usually, it was just a wobble. He hit it harder than he had meant to. There. A perfectly reasonable explanation.

As he picked up the die, Ace immediately dropped it as it burned him. A hiss escaped him as he clutched the scorched hand. What the hell? It was a plastic die! How the hell was it that hot?!

The dropped die landed on one as if it was mocking him.

Then there was a pulse.

Then a flash that blinded him.

Then darkness.


	2. Rude Awakening

A sharp peck to his forehead yanked Koby from the depths of his slumber. His brown eyes snapped open, taking in the annoyed bird that was staring down at him. It was a peregrine falcon. It was strange though. He’s never seen markings like these on the bird. They almost looked like glasses. Maybe he was wrong? Koby wasn’t exactly a bird expert.

Beyond the bird was a brilliant blue sky. Bluer than anything he had ever seen before. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Lush green grass and sweet-smelling flowers waved in his peripheral. His internal clock told him that it was spring. It filled him with childlike wonder. It was beautiful. At least he had his glasses so he could see all of this.

WAIT! What the heck was he doing outside?! The last thing the teen remembered was getting ready for bed. So Koby should still be in his bed. So how did he even end up outside?! There wasn’t a place like this anywhere near where he lived! His heart rate was picking up alongside his breathing.

With the sudden burst of panic and awareness, he noted several things. First, his ears had  _ moved _ . They had never been able to do that! Secondly, something was pressing uncomfortably to his back. Thirdly, something was curling around his head. Right above where he had been pecked. Not to mention his clothing felt strange as well. Finally, this bird was way too comfortable with him!

Koby sat up quickly, taking a moment to try and get a hold of himself. Panic won’t help him! Maybe it was all just a dream. He’s going to wake up any minute now. That’s it. This is a dream. A lucid dream! The falcon had fluttered off of his chest to stand beside him. It was staring at him intently which unnerved him.

The first thing he did was reach up to feel his ears. They were pointed. A quick pull revealed that they weren’t fake. They twitched away from his offending touch. With his ears investigated, he turned his attention to his back. The discomfort had faded the moment he sat up but he had to shift to get rid of a horrible pulling feeling. He twisted himself to get a look, catching a brief glimpse of folded wings. Maybe a moth's wings based on how they were sitting..?

With the two more pressing issues addressed, Koby turned his attention to what was wrapped around his head. It felt like an intricate metal band with a stone set right in the middle of it. Most of it felt like leaves and flowers. He looked down at himself. His feet were bare with vines wrapping around his calves. Pink buds of unbloomed flowers decorated the vines. 

Similar vines wrapped around his forearms and crossed his chest. All with the pink buds. The vine across his chest, which was covered in a deep green tunic, led to a brilliant green book. Koby didn’t recognize the symbol that was etched into its spine with gold. A short cloak and capris completed his look. Strange… This was always how he had imagined his character in the game he had been playing. Well, except for the wings, the book, and the vines.

This meant that he was an Eladrin. An elf variant that was quite close to the fae.

This… really had to be a dream. There was no way this was real. But… thinking about it now, that discomfort was very real. Dreams weren’t this vivid. 

A chirp from the falcon beside him brought his thoughts back towards his current situation. The panic had faded at least. Koby turned to the avian then felt his ears twitch as he picked up a rustling that was coming from right beside him.

Koby leaned over to try and get a look, only to recoil as a vermilion something popped up and immediately looked around. Grey irises set in black sclera settled on him. It was a Tiefling.

He took in the appearance of the Tiefling. Freckles smattered his cheeks. A wild mane of wavy black hair framed his face. Horns jutted from his forehead, seemingly curling back from there. His ears were pointed much like Koby's. He couldn’t see much else besides a dull black cowl that seemed to have scorch marks. 

The man seemed to have calmed down after the initial jolt that had startled the poor Eladrin. “Hey—“ He started.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted by the falcon's screech and the puffing of its feathers. Koby and the stranger turned to follow the bird's line of sight to see what had caused the scream. Its focus was on something behind them. 

Standing up in the tall grass, just barely visible, was a single weasel. Behind it, four more weasels that were the size of Great Danes emerged from the grass. They parted their jaws to show off sharp teeth that glistened with saliva. A hissing sound accompanied by clicks escaped the menacing creatures. 

Koby very much wanted to wake up now. 


	3. Weasel Problems

When faced with four snarling, clearly hungry, giant weasels and their tiny scout, Ace did not freeze. Instead, he decided that the best course of action was to grab the pink-haired Eladrin beside him then book it. He heard a squeak from the stranger. Probably surprised at being pulled along by Ace. His eyes scanned for somewhere to hide. 

The falcon that had been with them was gone. Maybe it had just flown away. Ace didn’t dare look back. It didn’t seem like the weasels were following. Maybe they weren’t so hungry after all.

Ace was trying to get used to his new body but… the horns felt a little heavy on his head. It was weird feeling the grass and flowers brushing against an extra limb. It tickled. The extra limb was a tail that he was trying to keep from tripping him up. The damn thing seemed to have it out for him!

Aces eyes landed on a boulder jutting out of the sea of lush grass. Perfect. He ducked behind it, dragging his newfound companion along with him. He finally let the Eladrin go as he peered over the boulder. The weasels seemed to be busy with the falcon. Why the hell had it gone to fight instead of flying away?

Well… if it wanted to be weasel chow then that was the falcons’ business.

Aces attention went to the muttering teenager beside him. The Eladrin looked… panicked. Ace could understand that. They seemed to be in a whole new world. How the hell were they supposed to get home? Could they even get home?

Rather than dwelling on that thought, he focused on the panicking Eladrin. “Hey, everything okay?” Ace asked, crouching down so he was closer to his eye level.

“No…” answered the pink-haired Eladrin truthfully. His muttering had stopped at least. “There are giant weasels. I don’t know where I am or why I’m here or even how to get home!”

“We can figure that out together!” Offered Ace, his tail swaying behind him. “There’s got to be some reason we ended up in the same field”

“But—“

“Look. I’m not going to just ditch you, got that? I’m just as scared as you are here. What’s your name anyway?”

“Koby…” The eladrin seemed to have calmed down significantly. Good. 

“Nice to meet ya. Names Ace” The Tiefling peeked over the boulder to gauge how their oversized foes and feathery pal were doing. The small weasel was nowhere to be seen. Two out of the four large weasels bore talon marks that had clearly blinded them. Either with blood or by actually being gouged out. The falcon was nowhere to be seen and the weasels were clearly searching.

“Alright so…” Ace started

“Maybe it’s like an encounter… if we defeat them then we will be sent home?”

“Hey. I think you might be onto something there but if we are weaponless…” His eyes landed on the book that was at Koby’s side then Ace remembered the book he had woken up with. A book he had abandoned with the weasels. Shit… “You know how character sheets have a spot for spells?”

“Yeah?”

“I think your book there might be what holds them now” For emphasis, Ace nudged it with his booted foot. Poor Koby. His feet were bare. He really doubted that the force that stuck them there would force them to try and remember spells from the books. 

Koby quickly grabbed the book, flipping it open in the process. His ears perked up and his eyes widened. “You’re right! It does contain spells!”

“Cool. You don’t happen to have a shield spell do you?”

“...Why..?”

“Cause I’m about to do something incredibly stupid”

Koby didn’t ask what it was but Ace could hear the flipping of the pages as he looked for the requested spell. He was focused on the weasels.

“I found one. I can only keep it up for ten minutes or… So whatever you’re doing, it better be quick”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got this” Ace tried to assure him.

Koby didn’t seem to believe him. The Tiefling watched the shorter male read through the passage several times then drop the book back to his side. That’s something Ace needed to get for his book. A strap.

Koby took a breath, pressed his fingertips together in front of him then closed his eyes. Ace waited patiently for something to happen.

There was nothing. They waited longer. Still nothing. Koby’s cheeks were turning pink. Nothing.

Then there was a shimmer around Ace. He couldn’t help but stare in awe. This… wasn’t what he was expecting. He wasn’t going to tell Koby this but he had expected nothing. Neither of them really belonged here so why would magic work for them?

It sure did work for Koby. So hopefully it would work for him but part of him really doubted it. Ace hopped over the boulder they were using for cover, landing with the grace of a falling giraffe then taking off for the group of weasels. Once he found his footing. Damn tail! Trying to trip him again!

Despite the pesky limb, it seemed that fate was on his side for once. The falcon had reappeared, keeping the weasels busy. Step by step, Ace drew closer to where he had woken up. Closer to where he had left the black book etched with golden flames.

He didn’t realize that a weasel had broken away from the other three to pursue him until the book was held safely in his hands. The young man had looked back and seen it. Ace was swatted to the side, barely managing to keep hold of his prize. The shield had prevented any damage but it had shattered after the blow.

The Tiefling was dazed, blinking as the slobbering creature advanced on him. There was no time to look for a spell in his book. Ace pushed himself back, trying to keep distance between himself and the weasel. 

He raised his hand, holding it out in front of him. Maybe if Ace could focus hard enough… He could trigger one of his spells. His other hand held the book he had retrieved close to his chest as he waited. Holding his breath as the creature slunk closer and closer. The dizziness of the blow was starting to clear.

His arm jerked back as a bolt of fire burst forth. It gave the weasel a nice haircut then hit the falcon just as the poor thing had come in to rake its talons across the weasel's face. A horrible bird scream filled the air as it went down.

Ace didn’t even have time to feel guilty about hitting the falcon as a brilliant light blinded him. “Ugh!” He shouted as he covered up his burning eyes, rubbing the heel of his hands into them as if that would help. The smell of burning hair didn’t help either. It was  _ awful _ . Completely overtaking his senses. Well… At least he could assume the giant weasel that was coming for him was dead. But… There were still the others. Three more. From the sound of it, they were coming for them.

“Sorry!” Called Koby. “I didn’t realize that it would get you too!” Hands had started to help him up to his feet. Ace was quick to grab the book he had run in to grab. Thank god he hadn’t been injured too much by the blow. Maybe a few bruises. That was it.

“Eh. I’ve had worse” Ace said as he opening his eyes. They still stung but he couldn’t see his foes if they were closed. He wasn’t about to make Koby finish out this fight on his own either. That just wasn’t who he was. The Tiefling blinked the annoying black dots from his eyes and focused on the weasels that were coming for them. All three snarling and baring their fangs. Any thoughts of the falcon had slipped his mind now that he was faced with their cat snake foes.

Ace cracked open the book in his hands, eyes settling on the page about the spell he had just used. Firebolt was its name. He took a breath and set to casting alongside Koby. The Tiefling tried not to focus on his companions’ spells too much since they seemed to mostly consist of bright light. Ace did not need to be blinded again.

Aces aim… could use some work, to say the least about the battle. Koby didn’t fare much better, missing almost as much as Ace. The two had to keep moving otherwise they would end up taking a blow from the weasels. Ace had taken a scratch to the arm but he had not allowed himself to slow down for a moment.

There was a moment of relief when all of the weasels were dead. Unfortunately, it didn’t last much longer as both realized that they were still there. They had not gone home as predicted. What the hell were they there for?! Ace couldn’t help the slight aggravation that bubbled inside of him. He wanted to go home. His brothers would be wondering where the hell he went. If they even noticed that he was gone in the first place. Ace knew they would notice but there was always that stupid little voice at the back of his head.

“Why didn’t we..?” Koby started, dropping his book back to his side.

“I don’t know!” Ace snapped. He immediately regretted it when he saw the kid flinch at his harsh tone. “Sorry… I didn’t--” Ace cut himself off as Koby carefully picked something up from the ground. A feathery something with a badly injured wing and a bone to pick with him judging by the beady-eyed glare that was now focused on him. Well… at least it had survived!

“What happened to it?!” Demanded Koby, looking at the poor falcon’s burned wing.

Under the birds’ glare, Ace couldn’t help but tell the truth. Besides, weasels don’t breathe fire. “I might have… accidentally hit it with one of my spells.”

“Ace!” 

“What?! I said it was an accident! Besides! We should probably get moving. We need to figure this out...”

“It’s coming with us,” Koby said, his voice firm.

“The bird is not coming with us! What if it’s the one that led those things to us?!”

“If it hadn’t woken us up then we would have been killed!” Shouted Koby in return. It seemed that the falcons’ glare had gotten worse. Boy. This bird really hated Ace. “You almost TORCHED it! If we leave it here, it will die! You said we would figure this out together”

“It was an accident!” repeated Ace but he supposed the pink-haired teen brought up a good point. If it wasn’t for the bird… “Fine. Fine! The bird can come but you’re responsible for it, okay?”

Koby nodded. Ace watched as he set to work on doing what he could for the damaged wing. Proper supplies would have to be picked up if they found any civilization. Taking the vines from around one of his arms, Koby bound the wing to the falcons’ body. Just to keep it from moving too much. Seeing the blood on Aces arm, Koby also did what he could for him. The field was way too silent after the whole event they just went through. It was making Ace itchy. The sooner they got moving, the better.

“Do you have a name?” Koby asked the falcon.

Ace was about to ask why he was asking a  _ bird _ questions when he heard a little chirp. He watched the falcon scrabble in the dirt that it had dug up. It was clearly writing something in the dirt. Maybe this wasn’t just a random bird? The avian hopped to the side when it was done writing and looked up at them expectantly.   
  
“...Warco” Ace read

“You’re… reading it upside down. Its name is Marco”

“Oh” The name sounded strangely familiar but Ace couldn’t place it.

“So… He, then?”

The falcon, now named Marco, bobbed his head in confirmation. Ace watched Koby lift the bird so he could perch on his shoulder. Once he was settled, the Eladrin straightened up. Clearly ready to travel.

“Don’t suppose he knows where a town or somethin’ is, does he?” asked Ace.

In response, Marco pointed with his good wing to the west. An annoyed expression was offered to the Tiefling. This bird was really starting to unnerve him with how human it seemed.

With the town pointed out, Ace and Koby began to trek their way through the sea of grass and flowers. The sweet scent of the flora was welcoming after the smell of burning hair and feathers. Where there was a town, there was an inn. In that inn? Perhaps some answers to why they were here. Answers on how the hell they could get home.

Ace had promised that they would figure this out together. He intended to stick to that promise.


	4. Campfire

They had been traveling for several days now. Time had been lost to getting turned around or to fending off bandits that wanted to rob them. Of course, some beasts wanted to kill them as well. At least they were able to get some supplies off them. The beautiful meadow had turned to a thinly populated forest. In the distance? The village that they were going to be visiting.

Despite being so close to their goal, it was starting to get late so they decided to set up camp. Answers were better found in the daylight. Sometimes. 

Besides. One more night camped out under the stars sounded amazing. It reminded Ace of camping with his brothers. Of course, it was way more chaotic with them. The very first night they camped out, Ace couldn’t believe that Koby had never been camping before.

After getting his healing wounds checked out by the Eladrin, Ace set to gathering wood for a fire. They would need to do something about dinner. The rations they had looted off of the knocked-out bandits had run out. The last of them had been finished off that afternoon. With the village in sight, Ace wasn’t too worried about it. 

The Tiefling plunked down once he was certain he had enough wood for the night then began to build the start of their fire. Koby was checking over the falcon a short distance from where Ace had decided the fire should go. At least the bird was no longer glaring at him like he would like to rip his innards out. Starting the fire was relatively easy.

A comfortable silence settled over the camp with only the crackle and pop of fire-consuming wood to break it up. Ace was content to just watch the dancing flames. Koby had stuck his nose into his spellbook with Marco dozing on his shoulder. Maybe he should break out his bedroll and settle in for the night. They weren’t doing anything anyway.

“I could have been healing both of you this entire time!” Shouted Koby suddenly, startling Marco and Ace in the process. They were both wide awake now. “I can’t believe I forgot that. I’m a cleric! That’s what they’re known for!”

“Wait?! Really?!” Asked Ace, leaning forward to get a look at the spell that had caught Kobys attention. He wasn’t thinking about having the Eladrin use it on him. Maybe they could get rid of the angry ball of feathers. Marco was only with them until he recovered. As far as Ace was aware anyway.

“Well… There’s really only one way to find out…”

“You gonna test it on our birdie there?” Asked Ace, getting a squawk in response.

“Only if he agrees to it” Koby offered his arm to the avian then gently lowered him to the ground once he had moved. “What do you say?”

The bird seemed hesitant then bobbed his head in confirmation.

Ace backed off as Koby reached out a hand and set it upon the falcons’ injured wing. He only backed off in case things went wrong. Like Marco exploding. Not that he didn’t trust the little pink Eladrin. He just… didn’t trust magic. Especially not in this world.

There was a soft light that quickly faded. Koby slowly unwrapped Marcos' wing to check it over, eyes widening when he saw that the burns were gone. New feathers already fully grown in. “It worked!”

“Hey that’s pretty—“ Ace was going to say cool but a flurry of feathers, a pecking beak and talons stopped him. His face was under attack by Marco. “Oi!” Shouted the Tiefling as he tried to fight off the pissed off bird. God damn it! He thought he was over that!

“Marco!” Koby would shout, trying to help with getting the falcon to stop attacking Ace.

The bird would eventually finish his assault on Ace's face. Rather than sticking around, he took off into the air. Quickly vanishing.

“Well… guess that’s it for him” Grumbled Ace, wincing as he reached up to touch the scratches that were now on his face. Stupid bastard bird.

Koby reached out to try and heal Ace's wounds but the Tiefling brushed him off, telling him that it would be okay. The younger man would instead patch up the injuries. He wasn’t about to just leave them untreated.

“Maybe he will come back” Suggested Koby. “We might be the only chance he has at getting free. Maybe that’s what we have to do?”

“Free..?”

“I think he’s a druid stuck in wildshape”

Oh. That made sense now that Ace thought about it. Birds weren’t typically so comfortable around people or knew how to write their name. “Well, he would’ve stuck around if he wanted that”

“I guess you’re right…” Koby sighed, returning to where he had been previously.

Silence would settle over them once more. Both just watching the fire crackle, licking hungrily at the wood that was added when it got too low. Ace could drift off right this moment.

The plan of falling asleep was dashed the moment an all too familiar falcon reappeared. This time with two rabbits clutched in his talons. He screeched his return, dropped the rabbits in front of Koby then took up his usual perch on the startled Eladrins shoulder. Ace had nearly jumped out of his skin when the falcon returned.

Koby gingerly took up the dead animals. With the way he held them, Ace was convinced that the kid was expecting them to come alive and attack him. He was fidgeting with one of the ears when he decided to speak. “I don’t… suppose you know how to prepare rabbits…”

“Huh? Yeah. I do.” Ace reached over and took the animals from Kobys hands. He was all too willing to hand them over. The Tiefling yanked one of the knives from his boot then set to work. He had snagged the knives off one of the bandits they had defeated. “My brothers and I used to hunt all the time. We taught ourselves how to do this stuff. Trial and error mostly”

“Really..?” Koby had perked up, clearly interested in what Ace was doing and what he was talking about. 

“We had to fend for ourselves a lot. Hunting and gathering was how we kept ourselves alive. Hey… think you could prepare some skewers for me?”

Koby nodded. He located some sticks that would work for the rabbits then set to getting them prepped. All while Marco was content to sit on his shoulder. Ace wondered what was going on in that bird's head. Boy. He must think they were the worst adventurers ever. The bird wouldn’t be wrong though.

“So… you’re kinda like those feral kids they sometimes tell stories about..?” Koby nearly cut his finger with how quickly he was to speak again. “Sorry! That was rude!”

Ace snorted. “Nah. You’re fine. I’ve been called  _ way _ worse. But yeah, I guess you could say that

Koby nodded slowly, seemingly unconvinced that everything was fine. Before long, the rabbits were prepped and skewered to roast over the fire. Spices would’ve been nice but the bandits hadn’t had any of those. Ace was keeping a good eye on them. Well, at least they wouldn’t go hungry tonight. Something told him he wouldn’t have to worry about his share being stolen either. 

“So… since we are in a sharing mood, you happen to know a lot about taking care of injuries. Why’s that?” Ace knew his fair share. Mostly learned from Sabo once he joined up with him. But there was an explanation for that. Running around the woods? You’re bound to get hurt in some fashion.

But… judging by the fact that Koby has never been camping, he was a city kid. A good kid too. But… scared. Considering he had flinched when voices were so much as raised against him. As if he was expecting something else to follow. It set off an alarm in Aces head.

“Just… accident prone” Koby explained, fidgeting with his fingers and clothing. Oh. His wings were twitching too. Ears drooped low. Brown eyes avoiding looking at Ace. He was a terrible liar just like Luffy. 

Ace wasn’t about to press. If they were really stuck here, it would come out eventually. An idea formed in the back of the dark haired man's head. But he tried to shove it down. He had just met the teenager. The Tiefling really doubted he would be up for running away from wherever home was.

“Alright… Well, take care of yourself too, would ya?” Ace plucked one of the rabbits from the fire, offering it to the pink haired Eladrin. “I promised we would figure this out together. Can't do that if you go kicking the bucket”

“R-right!”

They ate in silence. The remains were disposed of appropriately. They didn’t need an owlbear or something coming to camp and killing them in their sleep. Marco hopped off of Kobys shoulder when the boy got settled for sleep. Ace was awake for a while longer before deciding it was about time he hit the hay too.

They had a long day ahead of them. A long day of finding answers and hopefully finding a way back home.   
  


Were his brothers missing him or were they happy he was gone? A thought for later he supposed as his eyes closed.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
